Cards on the Table
by SilentIncision
Summary: Hermione Wealsey is having an affair with one Draco Malfoy. Post DH, some spoilers.
1. Deception

**Disclaimer:** If I were J.K.R. Hermione and Ron never would have gotten together. 'Nuf said?

- _Silent Incision_

* * *

Deception

_I know that this is wrong. I know that I should call it off while I still can. I need to call things off between us, tonight._

She ran a hand through her damp hair, muttering a quick spell, leaving her normally unmanageable mane sleek, slightly curly, and dry. She walked over to her wardrobe, selecting a gorgeous black dress that complimented her curves perfectly, and then grabbed a pair of strappy heels. Another spell was used instead of struggling with an eyeliner pencil, and then she grabbed a black purse and left the flat silently, locking the door behind her before aparating in front of Le Chien Noir, a fancy restaurant that caters only to the rich or famous.

"Bonjour madame. Do you have a reservation?" the maître d' asked her politely.  
(Hello Ma'am)

"Oui, under Malfoy. For two." She smiled, toying with a strand of her hair. She was nervous, that much was clear. She followed the maître d' to a secluded table in the corner, waiting anxiously for Draco's arrival. Two menus were delivered to the table just as she spotted his blonde head heading toward her.

"Hermione" he greeted her warmly, his deep voice sending tingles down her spine as always. "You look beautiful." Draco ordered wine for the two of them and the two were silent as they looked over the menus and ordered when the waiter arrived.

"I got you something." She smiled at him, surprised by the unexpected gift as he handed her a long, silver case.

"You didn't need to get me anything, you know." She murmured, opening the case to reveal a gorgeous silver necklace with a small diamond drop hanging from the end. "Wow, Draco. This is beautiful, I love it. Thank you."  
He walked over to stand behind her as he took the necklace from her grasp. She lifted her hair off of her shoulders so that he could easily fasten the clasp before letting go of the necklace. Draco brushed his fingers lightly down Hermione's cheek, kissing her lightly on the lips before sitting back down.

"Voilà le Striploin Grillé, et pour vous, madame, le Poulet Doux, bon appétit." The waiter poured them both wine, before bowing and leaving them alone.  
(Here is the Grilled Striploin, and for you, ma'am, the Balsamic Chicken, enjoy your meal.)

"Draco?" She asked, her forehead wrinkling in worry.

He sighed, knowing what she was going to say. "I know, Hermione. I know that he" he gestured vaguely toward her left hand "would kill us both if he found out. Just enjoy your meal, please. We'll talk about heavy things later tonight, I promise." He smiled sadly at the beautiful woman seated across the table from him, carefully cutting his steak into small pieces. "Do you like the wine?"

She took a sip of the wine. "It's delicious. But then again, you picked it out. You've practically been raised to know what wine is good with what meal, haven't you?" she teased him, a smile playing at the corners of her lips. "It's perfect. Tonight, I mean. The wine too. It's…thank you, Draco."

They ate their meal, talking about anything that came into their minds, flirting and kissing occasionally.

Once they had finished and paid, Draco stood and pulled out Hermione's chair for her, taking her arm as he lead the two off out of the restaurant.

"Draco, I should probably…" she trailed off, leaning up to kiss him, enjoying the tang of wine she could taste on his lips.

"Just tonight. Come back with me tonight. You know that he won't be home. He'll never know." He wrapped his arms around her, pulling Hermione into him. "You know you want to." he whispered into her ear.

"Fine, but you promised that we _would_talk about this, Draco. This won't be like the last time you said that, and then proceeded to…distract me for the rest of the evening. We need to talk about this and you know it." He sighed, nodding his head before aparating them back to his Manor.

As soon as they steadied themselves, his mouth was on her neck and shoulders; planting small kisses and bites wherever he could reach. "I love you, you know that?"

She merely moaned slightly in response before pulling away. "Talk, Draco. We need to do that. Distractions can come after, alright?" he made a face at her but lead the brunette to his living room anyway.

Nineteen years after graduating Hogwarts, after the war had ended, she found herself married to one Ronald Weasley. And she also found herself with two slightly unwanted attachments. Hermione loved Rose and Hugo with all of her heart, but the fact was she didn't want kids at this point of her life. Not with Ron, in any case. The only thing saving her from having at least three more was a little bit of wandless magic on her part, a quick contraceptive spell that Ron would hopefully never find out about.

Draco himself was married at one point, with a little boy, Scorpius, the same age as Hermione's own Rose. But his ex wife, Marie, had left him one day, taking Scorpius with her, and the only time he had heard from her since was when she delivered the divorce papers.

He was upset at the loss of his son, but the only reason that he and Marie had married in the first place was because of the arranged marriage that their parents had arranged before either of them was even born. Months after she was officially divorced from him, Draco found himself noticing one of his co-workers more often than was strictly professional, and had quickly struck up a friendship with one Hermione Wealsey.

He had let go of his old prejudices when he had realised, back in the seventh year, just how warped the opinions of Lord Voldemort and his followers really was. It took Hermione a little while to believe that he was telling the truth about this, even after he had fought on their side during the war, and joined the Ministry as an Auror soon after graduation, using his rather intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the Death Eaters to help round up those still remaining free, but after a couple days of convincing, Draco managed to make her see that his opinions were real, not just some sham.

Their friendship had grown slowly, and then one afternoon a surprised Draco had opened his door to find a crying Hermione waiting for him. She confessed that her marriage to Ron was not the brightest thing for her to do, because while she had always loved him, she simply wasn't _in_ love with him, and never could be. She told him that it was just one of those things that she did because it was expected of her, and she thought that she could grow to be in love with him, and that things would work out.

They confessed secrets to each other that night that they would not have dared share with anyone else. Hermione told Draco of how she didn't want kids with someone that she was not in love with, and Draco told her in turn of the numerous affairs that both he and Marie had, how they were only together to appease their parents and public eye. He told her how much happier he was without her in his life, free to be with who he wished. She felt that she couldn't end things with Ron, not just because of the children, but because she couldn't bear to do that to any of them, the Wealseys, Harry, certainly not Ron himself. She told him how trapped she felt.

Draco helped her be free, for those hours that they spent together.

That was the night that their friendship changed altogether into something different, something more. That was the night that they had first shared real secrets, the first time that they had shared a bed.

In the year that had passed since, they taught each other about love and loving, about deceit, secrets, lies. Hermione rarely spent the night with Draco, having to return home to her husband and children, but the two of them always treasured those nights that they did have together.

"We need to stop this, Draco." Her voice was soft, she wouldn't meet his eyes. "You know it as well as I do. I can't keep doing this to Ron. Ginny has begun to suspect something isn't quite right, she keeps asking me if everything is okay between Ron and I." Her voice broke as a few tears slipped down her cheeks. "You know I love you, but this needs to end tonight."

He stood from the sofa, pacing in front of her before stopping. "No."

"Wha – Draco…this isn't…"

"Do you love him? Enough to actually want to be with him? Forget everything else right now. If you could choose, would you be with him?" he dropped to his knees in front of her, his steely eyes locked with her warm chocolate ones, his hands grasping hers tightly.

"No. If I could choose, I wouldn't be married to him."

"Would you be with me, if you could be? Ignoring everything else?"

"Yes." Her voice was broken, barely above a whisper.

"Then don't do this, don't call us off. If you love me, and not him, divorce him for Merlin's sake! You _can_ do it, you know that you can. You've got it in you, you know. I want to be with you, and not in secret, either."

She shook her head, pulling her hands from his and crossing to the other side of the room. "I can't do that and you know it. Don't ask me to, please Draco. I love you, and I wish that I could be with you, but unfortunately, real life doesn't come with 'forget everything else'. Everything else will always be there, and there's nothing you or I can do to change that! If we _could_make everything else go away, then yes, I'd do it! But we can't. We can't do that and you know it. So don't ask me to leave him for you. The Weasleys took me in. They're my family; they accepted me when no one else except for Harry did. So don't ask me to throw that away." She wiped her tears away with an angry fist, her back to him as she looked out a window overlooking the lake in his backyard. "I love you, Draco, but everything else won't just disappear because of that."

He came behind her and turned her around gently, wiping away the last of her tears with his thumb. "Let's leave, then. Go off to America, or anywhere! We may not be able to escape things here, but we can if we leave. You know that you want to do this, and I understand that you're afraid, but –"

"Afraid?" she demanded, her voice shrill in annoyance. "You think that that's it? You're asking me to give up _everything_ for you, Draco. My job, my friends, family, children, my whole life. Everything. I can't just do that on a whim. Draco. This needs to end. You need to move on, and I need to go back to my husband, stop cheating on him and be a good wife."

Hermione stormed off toward the door, pausing to unclasp her necklace and let it fall on the table. "You can keep that. It's over, and it'll save me from trying to explain to Ron how I could afford that." While the Wealsey family was a lot better off now, they still didn't have the money to splurge on diamond necklaces, plus Ron would know immediately that Hermione wouldn't have bought that, she would have saved the money instead. "Goodbye, Draco."

"He doesn't deserve you, Hermione, and you know it! We both know that he sneaks around with Lavender Brown. Hermione!" Draco's voice was flat, resigned. He knew that there was nothing he could do to make her turn around at this point. All he could do is hope that she would regret this come morning and things would go back to they way they were between them.

She didn't even flinch at his words, merely turned on the spot and disaperated, landing at the doorway to the flat she shared with Ron and her children.

She let herself in, glad that Ron had taken the kids with him to visit the Burrow. She had insisted that they go without her, saying she had a lot of paperwork to catch up on, but asked him to give the family her love. In reality, she just wanted to be with Draco one last time.

She flicked on a light and gasped in shock, seeing none other than Ginny Potter seated on her sofa. "Ginny! What on Earth are you doing here? You scared me half to death!"

"You're looking rather nice for a night of paperwork." Ginny's eyes were cold, her tone sharp as she stood. "I came to talk to you about Harry's birthday party next week, but you weren't home, so I decided to wait to see what you were up to. Cheating on my brother, are you?"

"Ginny, I wasn't –"

"I'm not stupid, Hermione. I knew that something was going on with you, but I had no proof, until now. Now you'd better explain this to me, and fast. I thought that we were friends? I thought that you loved him? What the hell has been going on here?"


	2. Truths

So this next chapter isn't nearly as eventful, and not as long, but it's necessary for the rest of the story.  
This'll be 25 chapters plus an epilogue, if all goes to plan.

Thanks for all the lovely feedback, everyone! I'm glad that you liked it!

And in reply to the review asking why I made everyone so old, I'm just going with the epilogue from DH. I felt that it worked better with the plan I have in my head for the whole story, to have it set at this point in their lives. Hopefully you'll agree.

- _Silent Incision_

* * *

Truths

"Gin…listen, please. It was a mistake. I left tonight to tell him that it's over between us, I called it off. I made a mistake, and so I corrected it. Please believe me; I never wanted to hurt him, or anyone. I'm so sorry that I did it in the first place."

"How long?" Ginny knew she was being unfair. She knew that Ron was cheating on Hermione as well, but that didn't stop her from being angry now.

Hermione looked down, her voice barely a whisper "a year."

Her head shot up when she felt Ginny's palm connect sharply with her cheek. "A year? You've been cheating on him for a _year?_ What about your children, for Merlin's sake? What happened to your wedding vows, you promising to love him forever, to remain faithful for always?" Hermione took a step back from the livid Ginny.

If Ginny was this bad, she didn't even want to _imagine _what the rest of the Weasleys would be like when they found out. "We're friends, right?" she demanded of the younger girl quietly. "Take that into account. Try your best to weigh that more than your blood relation to Ron, and I'll explain things to you." Ginny gritted her teeth but agreed nonetheless.

Hermione turned more lights on and led her friend to the living room, where she perched awkwardly on the edge of the sofa before continuing her story. "You knew that things weren't the best here, for us. I love Ron, I really do, but the truth is…I'm just not in love with him. And I never have been. I thought, when I married him, that I could be, but I know now that that's impossible. Ron just isn't right for me. I can't hold a decent conversation with him, the only things we _can_talk about is Quidditch – which I don't care about, or you and Harry! He expects me to be just like your mother, cooking, cleaning, the perfect housewife, the perfect mother. But that's not me. I'm not a housewife, and he doesn't understand that! He can't even begin to comprehend that I may not be happy here."

As Hermione explained her side of the story to her, Ginny felt herself torn. She wanted to be a good sister to Ron, but if she was being honest with herself, she knew that Ron didn't deserve Hermione. She wanted to be a good friend, and under normal circumstances she'd tell Hermione to just divorce the jerk, but this jerk was her brother!

"Don't tell anyone, please. Let me work this out myself. And this may be too hard to ask of you, but please, Gin, try not to hate me for this."

Ginny stood. "I don't hate you. And I won't tell, unless I suspect this is happening again, alright? This is your mess. You clean it up." Her voice wasn't friendly, but not nearly as frosty as before. "Go to bed. Ron will be here soon."

She walked to the fireplace and grabbed a handful of Floo powder, Flooing herself back to her home, a lot on her mind.

Hermione quickly changed into her pyjamas, waving her wand to take the make up off and make her hair go back to what it normally looked like. She crawled into bed, too tired to even consider doing any of the paperwork that she really did need to finish up. And, true to her word, Ron entered the flat not even ten minutes later, singing loudly and off key.

He stumbled, and Hermione winced as she heard a crash signifying Ron hitting the table in their kitchen. "Fuck!" came his voice, slight slurring the words. There was some more unintelligent mutterings coming from various parts of the flat before he stumbled into the bedroom, turning the lights on. "Oh, Herminny. Didn' think you'd be asleep yet" he slurred, walking on unsteady feet over to the bathroom. "how w's th' paperwork?" she heard the sink tap turn on.

"It went well. How was Lav – the boy's night?" upset though she was, she couldn't bring herself to actually ask him straight out about Lavender. Not yet, at least.

"Fun. Harry 'n me went to Diagon Alley." He returned to the bedroom, hit the lights off and crawled into bed beside her.

"Ron?" she demanded, voice sharp. "Where are the kids?"

"Hmm? Oh. Let 'em with Gin. She said she'd keep 'em for th' night." He yawned loudly. "D'me a favour, Herminny? Leave me one o' your hangover relief potions tom'rrow?" he buried his head under the pillow.

"Sorry, we're all out. I haven't had a chance to make more. You'll have to take care of it the old fashioned way." This was, of course, a lie, but Hermione wasn't feeling very hospitable at that point, and would be pleased to see Ron in pain the next morning.

Of course, he didn't even hear her response, having already passed out cold, his snores growing louder and louder. _Draco doesn't snore. _Said that treacherous part of her brain, which she quickly silenced. It was bad enough that she had to be here now, with a husband who had just returned from shagging another girl; she didn't want to think about the man who she had dumped that very same night.

Hermione awoke the next morning to find Ron still passed out beside her. Not that she was surprised. She set the alarm to wake him in another hour and a half, and wrote him a note telling him that there was no hangover relief potion, but to have fun at work, and then took a shower. She dressed, spelled her hair to look decent, and ate some breakfast. She quickly brushed her teeth and grabbed her work, aparating to the Auror's office.

Ron had also managed to become an Auror, as well as Harry, but because the two of them worked solely in the field, unless they were called in, they didn't need to be there as early as Hermione did as a desk worker.

She opened her scheduler, flipping to the proper date and scanned the notes written down in her neat, precise hand. "Meeting at noon with team six" she named one of the field groups "to brief them on their new task, need to hand in the reports on the Johnson and Burrow's cases." She muttered, closing her book. Today would be very uneventful.

She worked steadily all day, handing in the case reports that were due, briefing the field group on their new assignment – there were rumours of a group of people plotting to become the new generation of Death Eaters, it was their task to find out if these were just rumours, and if not, put an end to it.

She even did the paperwork that she pretended to have done the night before. And when it became too boring for even _her_ to focus, she amused herself with thoughts of a very hungover Ron attempting to get anything done today.

He would be mad tonight; no doubt about it, but Hermione didn't care in the least. He should have thought of buying a hangover relief potion beforehand, instead of just assuming that Hermione would have one ready and waiting.

Hermione glanced at her clock and smiled. Finally the day was over! She packed what things she needed and aparated over to Ginny's before the other girl went crazy from have five young kids around all day.

"Gin? You here?" She called, knocking on the door.

Almost immediately the door was opened by a harassed-looking Ginny, and five children ran at her, two screaming "Mommy! Mommy!" and the other three "Auntie Hermy! Auntie Hermy!" she hugged Ginny's three and scooped her own two kids up, one onto each of her hips, before smiling a bit awkwardly at Ginny. "Sorry about that I didn't realise that Ron wouldn't come and pick up these two little munchkins last night. I should have realised, of course, but I suppose my mind was elsewhere. Hope that they weren't too much trouble."

"Oh no, it was fine, don't worry. I love having them." Both of them were talking in rather stilted tones, trying and failing to pretend as though everything was normal between them, that nothing was the matter.

Hermione turned to leave, thanking Ginny yet again. "Hermione, wait. You were right; I wasn't being a friend last night. I've thought about it, you're right. He isn't the best for you, but I really hope that the two of you manage to work things out. Come find me if you need to talk, alright?" they smiled genuine smiles this time, before Hermione headed off to her flat with her two kids in tow.

She was in the process of cooking chicken for dinner when a grumpy-looking Ron came through the door. "Tough day?" she asked, hiding a smile. She could only imagine how tough it was been on him. Hermione herself never was that big of a partier, and whenever she did, she never drank too much. She could remember a couple occasions when she had become tipsy, but it was never worse than that, certainly never to the extent that Ron had been the night before.

"Why didn't we have any hangover relief?" He snapped at her, opening the fridge and grabbing himself a bottle of Butterbeer.

"I told you last night, Ron." She sighed, turning to face him, the chicken temporarily forgotten. "I didn't have time to go out to Diagon Alley this week, what with work, the children, Harry's party coming up, cooking and cleaning…I simply didn't have time get out. I thought that you would think to look, or at least buy a bottle yourself. At the very least, couldn't you have owled Harry for some of his? Don't expect me to look after everything, Ron. You're a big boy now; you can do some things yourself."

He stared at her, mouth slightly agape. "What's gotten into _you _today? That time of the month or something?" he took a swig of Butterbeer, giving her an odd glance.

"No. but I'm not your mother, Ronald. Please stop treating me like her. Dinner will be in twenty minutes, make sure the kids are ready." Her voice had dropped dangerously low, developing an icy edge to it with each word.

Ron simply nodded and left without as much as a backward glance.


	3. Flowers?

Hey, I'm alive! Did you miss me? I missed you guys.

Rather, I missed writing. This is my first time writing anything since chapter two went up, it made me really sad.  
Like I said though, I've been insanely busy. And I got a job!! First shift is tomorrow, I'm excited! I'll try to post more regularly, but I don't know how busy my schedule will be...

The next couple of chapters are going to be a bit shorter, but after that they should be getting longer as I work more things into the story. I can't wait to write some of the later chapters.

Because it's shorter and it's been a while, I'll try to get in at least one more chapter tonight.

Hopefully this was worth the wait! )

- _Silent Incision_

* * *

Flowers?

Hermione looked around her flat with a sigh. Once again she was home alone, Ron and the kids having left to visit Molly and Arthur. At least, that's what the note said.

She had barely seen, let alone spoken to Ron since dinner three nights previous, as one of them was constantly working or else off with friends. She knew that he was still angry about the lack of potion for him, and the argument they had before dinner several nights ago, but at this point she barely cared. When she awoke this morning it was to an empty flat, and a note on the kitchen table saying that he had taken the kids with him to visit his parents.

Instead of hanging around the flat waiting for them, Hermione decided to head off to Diagon Alley. She needed a new set of dress robes for a banquet at work. The banquet was still more than a month away, but she wasn't sure when she'd next be able to get out and buy some. _Might as well get it over with_. She thought as she Flooed herself to the Three Broomsticks.

Wiping off some soot from her robes, she headed out of the bar, crowded even though it wasn't even noon on a Tuesday, and walked the short distance to Madame Malkin's. Inside, she headed quickly toward the woman's dress robe section, hoping to avoid talking to the older witch as much as possible.

She had just picked out a pair of soft pink robes, and was waiting for a change room to open up, when she felt a familiar presence behind her. She kept her eyes glued directly in front of her, refusing to acknowledge him until she heard his all-too familiar drawl. "Granger." He sneered elegantly at her as she turned, slowly, to face him.

His cold, aristocratic mask was firmly in place, making Hermione feel very, very alone. "Draco." She replied softly, not looking him in the eyes.

"No Weasel around, or those insufferable brats you call children? Did they decide to do the world a favour and disappear?"

She glared at him. _It's not like I didn't except this. Still, a little bit of normality would've been a nice thing to have, _"What do you want? I mean, I know that your pride was hurt and all that, but honestly! What are you trying to prove here? That you're over it or something?"

He leaned down, his mouth beside her ear, and whispered harshly "there was nothing to get over. It's not like I was _actually_ in love with you or something. You were willing, I was bored. That's all it was, for me at least." And with one last sneer, he turned on his heel and exited the shop, leaving her feeling more upset than she cared to admit. _He didn't mean what he said._ She told herself firmly, not believing a word. _He still cares for me but just doesn't want to appear weak. He wanted to keep up appearances, that's all._

Still, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself of that, her decent mood was completely ruined. After trying on and buying her new robes, Hermione aparated back to her flat, only giving in to the overwhelming urge to cry once she had made sure that no one else was home yet.

After what felt like an eternity, Hermione's cries subsided. She lay still on the floor, sniffling, for a few minutes before standing and walking to the bathroom, wiping away her tears. She turned on the shower and stepped inside, determined to wash away the traces of her tears.

Once she immerged from the steamy confinement of the bathroom, she glanced at the clock to see 6:12 staring back at her. Ron and the kids should be back by now. She rolled her eyes. _Honestly. Do I have to be the mother of my husband as well? Now I've got to go find them for Merlin's sake. I have no problem with them spending the day there, but they should've left word with when they'd be back! _She quickly threw on her clothes and spelled her hair, feeling it dry and flatten instantly. She smiled at that, reflecting for an instant on how much she simply _loved_ magic.

_Knock knock knock!_

Hermione jumped, going to get the door. "Harry! Come on in!" she exclaimed upon opening the door to reveal him there.

"Thank, 'Mione. How've you been?" he shifted from foot to foot, seeming to find the flat very interesting, his eyes going everywhere except Hermione herself.

"Good, you?" she asked him slowly, suspiciously.

"Great. Great. I've been great."

"Harry, what's going on?" she demanded, knowing that her friend didn't act like this unless there was something that he was keeping from you that he felt you should know about.

"What? Nothing." He smiled unconvincingly, finally looking at her. "I'm just here to give you a message. From Ron. He said to say they're at the Burrow still, and the kids want to stay for dinner. They've invited you to join them, if you want. Ginny and I are going, along with the kids of course."

"Of course I'll be there." Her smile was just as fake as his was. "When's dinner?"

"Soon. Is something going on with you and Ron?"

She blinked at him, not expecting that question. "Things are fine, why?"

"Uhhh…no reason." There was a beat of silence as Harry seemed to be thinking hard. "Just that you didn't go with him to the Burrow, figured something might be off."

Hermione sighed. He always forgot that she could see through his lies in an instant. "Harry. We both know that's not why you're asking. Has Ron said something?"

"Mind if I get myself a glass of water?" Harry asked, walking to her kitchen and busying himself with that. "No, he hasn't said anything. I just thought…you know…what with him going off a lot of nights to see Laven – " he clamped a hand over his mouth. "To look at lavenders, you know, the flower? Not something he normally does. Thought maybe you were pregnant again or something." He rushed, eyes wide as he realised what he had said.

Both Ron and Hermione were his best mates, which he normally loved, but there were times, like when Ron says that he's going to be visiting Harry and gets Harry to cover for him, but is really sneaking off to be with Lavender, those times he hated.

She laughed, masking the hurt that she felt at having her suspicions confirmed. "No, I'm not pregnant again. Between you and me, I'm not wanting to have any more. Don't tell Ron that though, or Molly. The both of them are both hoping to get at least three more out of me, but I'm happy with the two I have. I have no idea why he's looking at flowers, must've clued in to how little time we've managed to have for each other and is trying to make it up to me." Hermione pretended that she believed Harry was talking about flowers, not another girl, when he said 'Lavender' the first time. _Might as well not cause a scene, over this. It isn't as though I don't deserve it._ She thought.

Harry laughed as well, relief evident on his face. He didn't stop to consider, even for a moment, that Hermione might not have fallen for his lie. Ron would kill him if he let it slip and Hermione found out. "You're probably right, I didn't even think of that. Come on, let's go before Molly has a fit over us being late." He steered her outside her flat, waited while she locked up, and grabbed her arm, aparating them both over to the Burrow.

Dinner at the Burrow was never anything short of hectic, leaving Hermione with little time to be feeling upset or angry toward her husband, instead helping Molly in the kitchen, chasing around five hyper children, getting hers to eat their dinner, eating her own dinner, and explaining Muggle devices to Arthur, like the television. He didn't seem to be able to grasp the idea of how a television could possibly work, without magic, unless there were little people living inside of it, much to Harry's and Hermione's amusement.

And once they arrived home, it was a rush of getting the kids bathed, ready for bed and in bed, and then her and Ron picking up the various things that they had knocked down – Ron only helping after Hermione asked him to, twice. By the time they were done everything, Hermione was too tired to even try to talk to Ron about anything, let alone their marriage troubles. _Tomorrow. I'll do it tomorrow._ She promised herself before falling asleep.


	4. Letters

Chapter four, like I promised.

I might be away again until Sunday, not sure. If not, I'll try to get another chapter up before then...

I hate writing scenes with the kids in them, so basically they're a part of the story, but they'll rarely be _in_ the actual story.  
Again, it's short, but important.

Enjoy )

- _Silent Incision_

* * *

Letters

Tomorrow came and went, as did the day after that, and the one after that one, and still Hermione never worked up the nerve to talk to Ron about them. It was now seven days since she had left Draco. Seven days of pretending to be happy with the life she was leading, even though it was painfully clear to her now what, _who_, was missing. Seven long days of not having the guts to try to fix things between Ron and herself. She was beginning to wonder if she even wanted to.

"Mommy! Mommy! We want to go flying! Will you take us flying, pu-pu-pleeeeeeease?" Hugo and Rose begged, their bottom lips sticking out, making her smile for the first time in what felt like ages.

"Go see what your dad is up to, I'm sure he'd love to go flying with you." Their squeals of joy reverberated around the flat as they ran off to find their father, Hermione's light chuckle going with them.

A few minutes later she saw the two, plus their tall, redheaded father, race by with brooms in hand. "Have fun, and make sure to keep an eye on Hugo!" she called after them. Hugo was just learning to fly, and was known to be soaring around perfectly on his own, and then just stop. And then fall. Quickly.

She stood, walking toward the bedroom. She tidied up automatically, her mind not on the task at hand, but instead seeing blonde. She was starting to forget little things about him, such as the way he smelt, not of food like Ron, but of his expensive French cologne. She was starting to forget the way he smiled, just for her, the look he would get in his eyes right before doing something really sweet, and the taste of his mouth.

She was starting to feel as though maybe she had made it all up in her mind, that year and some that they were together. After all, it was seven days. And not once did Draco ever try to get in touch with her or anything.

Hermione looked around the room, not wanting to go outside and watching her husband and kids fly, not after she had just thought about how much she misses Draco.

As she walked over to her desk she knew that she'd regret doing this, but right now she didn't care.

She grabbed a quill and parchment, taking a seat as she pondered what to say. Dipping her quill in ink, she began.

_Draco,  
I'm sorry for what happened between us, I really am. I wish that we could –_

She ripped that part of the parchment off. She didn't want to sound that desperate.

_Draco,_

_We both know that you didn't mean what you said to me the other day. I think that you should – _

Trying to blame it on him wasn't the way to go either.

She took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts in regards to the blonde man that she was so enamoured with.

_Draco._

_I know that I hurt you, even if you choose not to admit it._

_And we both know that I really do love you, that wasn't a lie. None of what happened between us in the past year was a lie. But while I can admit that I love you, that I am in love with you, I don't regret calling us off._

_Because I also love Ron, and Hugo and Rose, albeit in a different way than I love you._

_I'd appreciate it if you would stop being a jerk toward me, and hopefully we can find some sort of middle ground. I'm not asking to be your friend, I know that I've ruined all chances of that happening, but I am asking to be more than some girl you treat like crap, even if that 'something more' is just that cool indifference that you do so well._

_I miss you, I admit. I know, it's my own fault that I'm not with you, but I couldn't keep on doing that to Ron, I couldn't keep cheating on him, it was tearing me apart._

_I hope that we can work something out, so that you can be in my life, at least a little bit._

_I truly wish that the circumstances could be different surrounding us, and maybe one day they will be. Until then…until then, I will remain here, waiting._

_With my love,  
Hermione_

P.S. Ginny knows about us. She's going to keep it a secret for me, but just so you're aware, she knows everything that went on. Except she doesn't know that it was with you.

Hermione read over her letter a couple of times, making sure that she was satisfied with the result.

She was about to get her owl to send it to Draco when she heard the door open and her family loudly re-enter their house, so she hastily shoved the note inside one of her books that Ron would never touch, making sure that it was completely hidden before heading out of the bedroom and toward the noise made by two children and one grown man who still acted like a child.

"Have fun?" she asked then, kissing both Rose and Hugo on the heads. "Did anyone fall off?"

"Daddy did" Rose whispered to her mother loudly, giggling. "Me n Hugo didn't though, we were fantastic!" she grinned at her family proudly.

"Daddy fell off, did he? Is he alright?"

"He's fine." Ron grumbled, massaging his back. "He was showing off a bit and went backwards into a tree. And then fell flat on his ar – back." He changed word choice noticing Hermione's pointed glare when he almost said 'arse'. "Run along and play with Huge, Rose. Mommy is going to give me a back rub so I can go out and fly with you lot again tomorrow, right Mommy?" his eyes pleaded with her to agree and he winced when he stood, so Hermione agreed, shooing her daughter out of the room.

"Oooh I need to lie down." He moaned, one hand on his back the other on the wall. "Would you really give me a back rub? That would be so fantastic you have no idea."

She laughed a bit, almost meaning it. "Sure, why not? Let's get you lying down, Mister."

Ron hobbled to the bedroom, tossed his shirt to the floor, and sunk onto the bed with a sigh of relief. "Better already." He muttered.

Hermione climbed onto the bed beside him, gently massaging the muscles of his lower back. Her eyes were shut, making her able to pretend that it was not Ron she was with, but another.

She massaged his back, the two of them silent except for the occasional grunt of gratitude from Ron, for several minutes. It was so silent, and Hermione so lost in her thoughts, that she barely heard Ron when he spoke. As it was, she didn't catch the entire question. "What was that? Sorry, I didn't hear you."

Ron sighed, whether because of the massage or having to repeat himself she wasn't sure. "I said, you're not happy, are you? You haven't been for a while." His voice was sad, though she detected some resignation in there as well.

Hermione, on her part, didn't jump or stop rubbing his sore muscles even though she was thoroughly startled by that question. She never expected Ron to have noticed. "No, I'm not." She whispered, hating herself for the answer. "Are you?"

"Kind of. Sometimes. I mean, I don't know. I'm sorry. For not making you happy. You deserve to be happy." He flipped over so that he was lying on his back, staring up at her. "I know that I don't deserve this, but will you give me another chance? I want to try to make things right between us, if I can. I love you, Hermione Weasley."

She felt tears start to fill her eyes. "Honestly Ron, it might be too late. But yes, I'm giving you another chance. I don't want for things to end between us, I want things to work out."

Caught up in his joy over getting a second chance with the woman he was in love with, Ron didn't notice that she never told him that she loves him as well.


	5. Harry's Birthday Party

Wooh! New chapter!

Sorry for the delay...I'm fighting a major case of writer's block. Like...a terrible one. And I'm working most nights, which is the time of days that I get the best inspiration. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it some.

I really hope that you guys enjoy it.

Oh, and just so you know, I hate writing scenes with the kids in them. Have I mentioned this? I really do. So usually I'll just mention that they're there or whatever, and then write them out haha.

- _Silent Incision_

* * *

Harry's Birthday Party

"Hermione!" A very stressed looking Ginny Potter called, stepping out of Hermione's fireplace. "Why are you still here? Mom's driving me nuts, what with all the last minute details, and Harry is AT THE HOUSE still, we need him gone and I need you to help save me from mom!"

Hermione looked up from the book that she had been staring absently at for the past quarter-hour. "What's that? Oh. Right, Harry's party. I must've lost track of the time, is it nearly six already?" she looked at her watch. "It's only four. Does Molly really need everything done now? Nevermind, I'm coming." She carefully put the bookmark back in her book and set it on the table. "Let's go."

Ginny smiled in relief at her older friend before the two of them Flooed off to the Burrow.

Hermione needed to get Harry out of there, but somehow stay herself. And the first way that came to mind was "where's Ron?" Ginny pointed upstairs, and after climbing up to Ron's old bedroom, she saw him sitting there with the kids, telling them a story about their adventures in Hogwarts.

"Ron." Hermione called, interrupting the story. "Could you help us out, please? We need to get Harry out of the house so that we can start getting ready for the party."

"No problem, Hermione. We'll be back by six, tell mom not to worry." He gave her a kiss on the cheek before heading downstairs to where Harry and his kids were.

"Come on, kids. Let's go play with your cousins." She said to the kids, ushering them back downstairs and warning them to stay out of their way as they set up for the party. After that was finished, Hermione walking to the kitchen where Molly was busy cooking the meal, and cake, for that evening. "Hey Molly." She greeted her mother-in-law warmly. "How can I help?"

"Hermione! Hello! If you wouldn't mind helping Ginny clear up the yard and set the tables, tent, and chairs all up, that would be lovely!" Molly smiled distractedly, her attention focused on the dough in front of her.

HGDM

With everything that needed to be done in such a short period of time, time passed quickly for Hermione. Before she knew it, the guests were starting to appear, and so Hermione ducked inside the twins' old bedroom to change her clothes and freshen up.  
She slipped into a red dress, lightly curled her hair, and washed her hands and face, and then went back outside, joining the streams of people that were showing up.

It seemed that half the Wizarding World was there, though Hermione knew this to be an exaggeration. She could see most of the people from the Ministry there, as well as the members of the Quidditch team he played for – just a small team, not one of the main ones. There were also a lot of people, teachers and ex students alike, that she recognised from Hogwarts, and then aside from them, there were dozens of people that Hermione had no idea who they were.

Ginny's voice sounded above the noise that the crowd was giving off. "Everyone! Ron and Harry should be here any second, quiet down and hide!" everyone did as she instructed, hiding in the yard or merely spelling themselves invisible, waiting with baited breath for the arrival of the birthday boy.

They heard the door open, and Ron's voice announce call out, asking where Molly was.

"I'm outside!" she replied, making a shushing gesture at everyone else.

The moment Harry stepped foot outside the Burrow, everyone jumped from their hiding places and made themselves visible, yelling "surprise!" Harry laughed, not as surprised as he was supposed to be.  
Molly was no good at keeping a secret, he had guessed the plan weeks ago, but didn't want to spoil their fun.

He was immediately surrounded in friends wishing him a happy birthday, and chatting to him about this and that. Hermione made her way over, slowly, as the crowd thinned out slighty.

"Hey Harry. Happy birthday!" she hugged him tightly. "How's it going?"

"Thanks. And it's good, what about you?" he returned her embrace.

They talked for a couple of minutes before Hermione moved aside, letting the next person great Harry and wish him good health and a long life.

He saw a flash of red out of the corner of his eye and felt his heart skip a beat. Obviously she would be here, it's the party for her best friend, after all, but at the same time, he was hoping to not see her this soon.

He turned, drinking in the sight of her from across the yard. He revelled in the way her dress hugged her upper body perfectly, gems accenting her chest. He felt his eyes travel down her body, loving the way the dress flared slightly at her hips, and the way it flowed down just past her knees, showing off her gorgeous legs.  
His attention went back to her face, framed by loose curls, and nearly growled when he saw her talking and laughing with Ron.

He wanted to kill the redheaded man, and not for the first time, either.

He grabbed a glass of champagne, a Muggle drink that Harry was so fond of, and drowned it in one go. He switched the empty glass for a new one and sighed heavily. It was going to be a long night.

He should've never come.

She was being a good wife. She was talking, laughing, even, with him. She wasn't looking around for the man that she knew would be there. She was having fun, or at least trying to. They had even danced together a couple of times.

Once, when Ron was spinning her, she thought that she might've caught a glimpse of his blonde hair, but she quickly turned away before she could find out for sure if it was him or not. She didn't want to know.

_Why_ he needed to be invited when he wasn't even a friend of Harry's irked her to no end, but she knew that Molly wanted this to be a big party, and with that wish, everyone at the Ministry who ever came into contact with Harry had been invited.

Furthermore, she had no idea why he agreed to come, unless he had already agreed when they were still together. Even then, it confused her.

They always tried their best not to be at the same event at the same time, especially if Ron was going to be there as well.

But there was no changing things now. She wasn't sure if she had seen him or not, but she knew from the gossip that he was there. And there was, unfortunately, nothing that she could do about that.

She picked up two glasses of champagne, handing one to Ron and taking a sip from the second herself. She sighed. It was going to be a long night.

HGDM

Ron was off talking with Harry, and Hermione sat gratefully, resting her sore legs. She always forgot how tired she felt when wearing heels, and tonight was no exception.

Ginny plopped down beside her friend with an easy smile. "Good party, don't you think? Harry seems to be enjoying himself." And it was true, ever time Hermione had looked at her bespectacled friend, he was dancing, talking, laughing, enjoying his birthday, enjoying being around his friends.

"He is. I'm glad he's having this much fun. You look warn out from the dancing." She commented.

"I am. Harry doesn't realise how much these freaking heels hurt your feet after a while!" They both laughed, Hemione nodding her agreement.

"He's here, isn't he?" Ginny asked suddenly, watching Hermione's face closely.

"Who?"

"You know who." Ginny wasn't stupid. She could tell that Hermione was avoiding something, some_one_. And she assumed, correctly, that it was the man that Hermione had recently called things off with.

"Yes. He's here. Almost everyone is here, in case you hadn't noticed." She commented dryly. "But I'm fine, Gin. I'm not going to do anything stupid, trust me."

Ginny simply nodded, about to say something, but Ron returned at that moment. "Well, I'm off to see how my husband is doing. You two have fun, but not too much, alright?"

HGDM

She was getting herself some food and another glass of champagne when she saw him heading her way. Draco hadn't noticed her yet, but it was too late to try and avoid the encounter, so Hermione just bit her lip and turned back to what she was doing.

"Hello Granger. Good job on the decorations." His tone was surprisingly civil. "I'm assuming that you helped set everything up?"

"You'd be right on that one, Malfoy. Enjoying yourself?" she asked, her voice just as polite as his.

"I am. The music is exquisite." And it was. They had hired Harry's favourite band for the evening, _The What_, to play. "How's Ron and the kids?"

To an outsider, their conversation would seem typical, normal even, given their work relationship. To anyone who knew them well, something was off. Only they knew what that something was.

"They're good. Ron's dancing with Ginny and the kids are playing with Harry's and Ginny's over there" she pointed to the section of the yard that was set aside for the children. "How's your mother?"

Draco's father had died during the last battle, and after that his mother barely left her Manor, speaking only to Draco and select others. Her health had drastically decreased, and there was an almost constant flow of Healers streaming in and out of the Malfoy Manor.

"Better, thankfully. The Healers say that she should be able to overcome this illness, if she has the will to do so." And that right there was the problem. Narcissa Malfoy didn't have much will to live, not these days.

"Hopefully she will." Hermione squeezed his shoulder gently for a moment before taking her hand away. "But I should be getting back. It was good to see you again, Malfoy. Take care."

She started walking, but Draco's hand on her arm made her turn around once more. "Granger, wait a moment, please." He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. For what I said. I know that it doesn't change things, but I really am, Hermione." He smiled tightly for a second.

"Draco, I – " she stopped, shaking her head. "I've got to go. Enjoy the party." Hermione walked away, disappearing almost instantly into the crowd of witches and wizards.

Unbeknownst to them, this exchange was observed by a redhead who's level eyes narrowed slightly as she tried to figure out what Draco Malfoy might be apologising to Hermione Wealsey for.


	6. Mrs & Mrs Weasley

I know, it's been forever. I'm sorry. I'mback, though!

This chapter is short, but critical. And interesting, I think. Also, this story is no longer going to be the length that I said it would be. I've deleted a couple chapters. I'd still like it to be that long though, but we'll see.

-_Silent Incision_

* * *

Mrs & Mrs Weasley

"Ron! I'm leaving for the Burrow now!" Hermione called over her shoulder as she made her way to the door of the flat.

"Wha - ?" Ron called back, sticking his head around the bathroom door, a toothbrush hanging out of his mouth.

"Molly invited me over for some baking and so that she could 'have a girl day'. I'm supposed to be there now. I'll be back for supper, alright?"

"Al'igh. Love 'ou!" he resumed brushing his teeth as Hermione aparated away

oOo

"Hermione, dear!" the moment Hermione stepped foot inside the Burrow, Molly threw her arms around the younger girl's waist, squeezing her tightly. "It's been too long! So good to see you!"

Hermione laughed lightly "It's good to see you too, Molly. Though it's only been five days since Harry's party, and we had dinner here two nights ago, so it really hasn't been that long."

Molly ushered Hermione inside, telling her that it didn't matter how long it had been, but that she missed the girl all the same. The two of them headed to the kitchen where Molly taught Hermione how to make Ron's favourite dessert, lemon meringue pie, the two of them chatting idly for several hours.

The conversation had somehow changed to their husbands, and Hermione was growing suspicious. Something was up with Molly, and she wanted to know what it was. "Hermione, dear. I'm sure that you've noticed by now that you've got to just go with whatever it is they've got their mind fixed on, for the most part. Pick your battles. I mean take Arthur for example! Him with his damned obsession with Muggles! Nothing I say or do would change it, and it would only make things worse between us. Ron's the same way, just with different things. All men are.

"What you've got to remember, no matter what they're doing, what they're saying, you've just got to remember why you married them, and all the things that you love about them. Because there will be days when you won't want to be around them, they just drive you nuts. But remember your vows; for better or for worse, right? There'll be times when it seems like it's only for the worse, but those moments are worth it in the end."

Hermione stared at Molly, slightly open-mouthed. So this was what the girl day was about. Molly wanted Hermione to remember that she married Ron for a reason, and to not give up on that. Remembering her manners, Hermione hastily looked away and stopped gaping. "I know, Molly, don't worry. Ron and I are fine." She flashed her mother in law a smile. "Honest."

Molly sighed, wiping her brow with the back of her hand, leaving a trail of flour. "I know my son better than almost anyone else in the world. I'm his mother, for Merlin's sake. I know better than most how he can do some things that are so completely without tact that it astounds you. He just doesn't think things through before he acts. And I don't want him pushing you around, or for you to think that you should leave him for it. Make sure he realises what he's missing, and then he'll make it up to you. Ron'll come around quickly. Just don't do anything stupid, alright?" Molly gave Hermione a piercing stare, as if she could see on Hemione's face who's mouth the girl had kissed.

"Now. When am I going to get another grandchild from you?" she demanded, turning her attention back to the dessert that they were making.

oOo

Meanwhile, back at Hermione and Ron's flat

"Come here you little rascal! You know better than to go into mommy's and daddy's room!" Ron called, chasing after Hugo who was currently trying to climb onto their desk and knock everything to the floor. "That's mommy's work table, she won't like it if her things get out of place." He told the boy, lunging to grab the child as he pushed a stack of books to the floor.

Ron grabbed a hold of Hugo's shirt and lifted the boy up onto his shoulder, carrying him out of the bedroom and shutting the door firmly behind him. "Now look. You've gone and made a mess out of mommy's books. Daddy's going to have to clean that up. That wasn't nice, Hugo." Ron put Hugo down with Rose. "You stay here and play with Rose for a few minutes, okay? Daddy'll be right back after he's put those books away."

He retreated to his bedroom and started to pick up the books and put them back in a pile on the table. There were only five books that had gotten knocked down, so it didn't take him very long. Straightening, he was about to leave when a corner of parchment caught his eye. It had fallen along with the books and landed, mainly hidden, underneath the chair.

Bending down, Ron grabbed the parchment and opened it. He scanned the letter once, and then twice more, his face turning a violent shade of red, before he stormed out of the room and to the fireplace, letting the parchment flutter to the ground once more.

He threw some Floo powder into the fire and then stuck his head in it, waiting for someone to come to the other end. "Harry, you've got to come over here and read this." Ron snapped before pulling his head from the fire and ending the connection.

In the other room, Hermione's letter to Draco lay face-up on the floor, a testimony to her betrayal.


	7. Truth Without

A couple of things.  
1) I'm very pleased with this chapter ) It was supposed to be up the other night, but I fell asleep writing it, so it's up today instead.  
2) To the anonymous reviewer back on chapter 5 that told me to get on with the story already...I'm sorry if I'm not writing it at the speed you want me to be, but honestly (not trying to seem rude, even though I know that I am)...if you don't like the pace, don't read it. I'm posting it on FF to try to improve my writing and so that other people can hopefully enjoy it. If you don't, there are thousands of other stories out there to read. With that in mind, I hope that if you continue reading, you like it more.  
3)Next chapter will hopefully be up soon (Wednesday, I'm hoping. If I'm home on Wednesday, which I might not be. If not, Tuesday?) Don't quote me, though.  
4)This goes out to BlackxZodiac. And her awesomely amusing reviews hehe

- _Silent Incision_

* * *

Truth Without

Ron was mad.  
Harry didn't even remember the last time that he had seen his friend so angry.

His face had turned redder than his hair, and he was swearing loudly as he stormed about his bedroom. Harry had quickly cast Muffliato so that Rose and Hugo couldn't hear the words that their dad was saying.

"I can't fucking believe her! Cheating on me for a whole year! And with Draco sodding Malfoy, for Merlin's sake! And Ginny knew, too!" he let out a strangled scream. "You didn't, did you? I swear, if you knew…"

"No, I didn't know." Harry calmly informed his friend for the sixth time. "I had no idea that she was cheating on you."

"You better not've!" Ron shouted, again. "If I find out that you did, I'll – "

"Ron, shut up!" Harry's patience had finally ran out. "You were cheating on her too, for longer than a year! I knew all along. I kept your damned secret for you, helped clean up the mess that you would've made out of your marriage, I made sure that you had an alibi when you went off with Lavender. So don't you dare try to play the innocent victim! You were worse than she was. She STOPPED her affair, because she wanted to make things work with you. That's more than I can say about you! You, who asks for another chance, apologises, says that you want to be with Hermione, and then that very next night you're at Lavender's again! The two of you have problems, and no amount of swearing and yelling is going to solve that!"

Ron remained speechless for a few seconds after Harry's tirade, his mouth agape. His face had returned to its normal pale, freckled state, though the tips of his ear's remained pink. He took a deep breath, and with as much control as he could manage, pointed to the door and said, "get out."

"What?"

"Get the fuck out of my flat. Now." Ron glared daggers at his friend. He knew that what Harry said was true, but he didn't feel like having it shoved in his face right then. Right then he was mad, and wanted to stay that way, because it helped him avoid having to face the deeper problems involved.

Harry opened his mouth as if to say something, but then seemed to change his mind, shaking his head and looking mildly disgusted. He lifted the charm that was placed around the room and walked out, pausing momentarily to inform Ron that he didn't feel that Ron capable of taking care of his kids at this point, so he was going to take Rose and Hugo back to his house, but that Ron could come get them once he had calmed down.  
And then he left.  
Ron could hear Harry in the other room, talking to the kids, getting them ready to go, and then, finally, them leaving.

As soon as the door to the flat shut, Ron growled in anger, kicking the end of the bed, which only angered him more, because now his foot hurt.

Harry's House

"Gin, I'm back! And I've got Hugo and Rose with me!" Harry called to his wife upon entering his house.

"Hey hun. I'm in the kitchen with Hermione." After she left the Burrow, Hermione had headed straight over to Ginny's, confused as to why Molly had given her that particular talk. Ginny informed her that Molly had become suspicious during Harry's party, as the two didn't seem nearly as friendly toward each other as they once were, and had been questioning everyone about what was going on. Not gleaning any information, Molly had decided to try to talk to Hermione directly, which was the reason behind her odd behaviour earlier that day.

Harry kissed Ginny on the cheek before turning to Hermione. "Could I have a word with you, quickly?" he sighed deeply, running a hand through his messy black hair. "It's important."

Hermione nodded and followed Harry out of the kitchen and into the dining room. "What's going on, Harry?"

Deep lines etched across his forehead as he tried to figure out the best way of telling her. After several minutes of silence, he decided that a direct approach would be best. "Ron found the letter that you wrote to Draco." He told her bluntly. "To say that he's angry would be an understatement."

"Oh Merlin." Hermione whispered, biting into her bottom lip. "Harry, I don't know what to do. I'm trying to make things work between us, really, I am, but it's as though he doesn't care enough to try at all, even though he was the one asking for another chance. I just…I just don't know if we can work things out, not this time."

Harry's jaw tightened for an instant. "I don't know what to tell you, other than you two need to talk. I don't mean fight, but you need to try to work things out, one way or another. Ginny and I can keep the kids for you until the two of you have sorted things out, but you need to sit down with Ron, and the two of you need to come clean. And if you're going to try to stay together, it's going to be difficult on both ends, at first. But it'll get easier, I'm sure. You two can do it, I know it." He offered her a tight smile. They both knew that he wasn't as sure of that as he was pretending to be.

"You're right, of course. I'll go and deal with him now. Thank you, Harry." She embraced him tightly. "I hope it works out with us."

"So do I." He replied.

Hermione called goodbye to Ginny and aparated back to her flat, hesitating at the door.

This was it. Once she opened the door there'd be no closing it, no turning back.

She turned the handle. Slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside, taking a look around.

It appeared that in his anger, Ron had trashed most of the flat and was now slumped against the floor in their living room, shaking with silent tears.

"Ron?" she asked quietly. "Are you alright?"

He looked up, his eyes red, and swollen, his face tired. "No, Hermione, I'm not. Did you think that I would be?"

She sat gingerly on the ground near him, hesitating before she spoke. "We need to talk, Ron. You know it as well as I. Things will only get worse if we don't."

"Talk about what? The fact that you've been screwing around behind my back with Malfoy?" Ron spat, a trace of his previous anger back in his voice.

"Oh, come off it already, Ronald! He's not that bad, he's changed a lot since we were in school. Besides, I ended things with him to try to make it work with you. And it isn't as though you were trying real hard to keep me after I gave you another chance."

Ron just glared.

"It's not as though you've been a saint either!" she cried, exasperated.

"What're you talking about?" Ron demanded slowly.

"Lavender."

"What?"

"Don't play dumb. I know you've been with Lavender Brown. How long has that been going on? A year? More? I know you were with her even after you asked for another chance." Hermione met his gaze evenly, knowing that she had won that round. "Why'd you even want another chance? Is this even worth trying to fix? I mean look at us! We've both been cheating, we can't even have one decent conversation that doesn't end up in accusations or being a shouting match…should we even try to fix our marriage? Is it worth saving?"

"I – " Ron faltered. "I don't know. I don't think that I even want to try."

"I don't know either." Hermione ran a hand through her hair, using her other to wipe away the tears on her cheeks. "I guess that tells you more than it doesn't."


	8. That's not an Answer

It's up!  
This story isn't going according to my plan anymore, but I like this more. No longer sure how many chapters there'll be, we'll see I suppose.  
Enjoy!

- _Silent Incision_

* * *

That's not an Answer

The flat felt so empty.

Gone were the kid's toys, clothes, and books. Gone to the Burrow along with Ron's clothing, all of his things, as well as himself, Rose, and Hugo.

The only things left belonged to Hermione, leaving big, empty spaces where missing objects once were.  
Pictures were flipped over so that she would not have to see her husband and children smiling and laughing within their frames, she would not have to look at what she no longer had.

It was for the best, she knew this, but that didn't stop the emptiness from eating away at her heart.

After her and Ron had agreed to take a break, he had packed up his things, the kids' things, and aparated to the Burrow, where Molly would be able to help look after the children while Ron and Hermione sorted out what would happen with the custody.

Molly seemed to think that they would be getting back together, that it was only a matter of time, but Hermione knew better.  
There would be no going back, not now, not anymore.  
She wouldn't allow herself to get caught in that situation again, not after she had finally tasted bitter freedom.

Yes, this was what she wanted. She wanted to be free from the life that she had previously led, but her pleasure was tainted by the sorrow she felt from having left Ron once and for all. Almost as long as she could remember, she felt that Ron would always be in her life, and she in his. And now that their paths had separated, she felt more alone than she could ever remember feeling.

After all, isn't love supposed to last a lifetime? If you truly love someone, shouldn't you try to make things work no matter what? These questions were on her mind almost constantly, even as she did anything in her power to forget about them.

Even if it would be just for a moment, she wanted to forget her heartache over leaving her husband, she wanted to forget her indecision over what's next for her.

But this sanction seemed to evade her, seemed to be just out of her grasp. Because try as she might, Hermione hadn't been able to, even for an instant, forget about everything. It was four days after Ron's departure, and she found herself still second-guessing what had happened between them.

A letter sat on the table beside her, the contents practically memorised, though it had only arrived a half hour previous.

_Hermione,_ read the elegant scrawl

_I heard about what happened between you and Ron, and for that I am sorry. I hope that you are well, and I hope that I might hear from you again soon._

_Yours,  
Draco._

Beside that letter lay her reply, and several drafts. She wasn't yet sure if she would send what she currently had written, but it seemed like a good enough start. It was short and to the point; Hermione felt no need to mince her words.

_I thought that all it was to you was the fact that you were bored and I was willing?_

_H.W._

The only thing that made her hesitate in sending it was the fact that she still cared for him deeply. Even after what he had said to her at Madame Malkin's, she didn't want to destroy whatever chance she might have left with the blonde man.  
Nevertheless, she pushed her hesitation aside, trying the letter to her owl's leg and sending her off before she could change her mind.

If Draco wanted her in his life, it would take more than one half-apology from him at Harry's party to have her. She didn't want to go back to him if he would only turn out like Ron.

With a groan of frustration, Hermione Weasley raised herself from her chair. She was sure that Draco would send a reply to her less-than-polite letter in minutes, but it could wait. She wasn't sure how much she'd want to read it, anyway. Hermione showered, and dressed simply in a skirt and haltered shirt, and pulled her hair up into a bun, but allowed a couple strands of her hair to fall, loosely framing her face.

She was off for Diagon Alley today. She had promised Ginny to meet her there, at the apothecary. Ginny had mentioned evasively that there was something important she needed to talk to Hemione about, in person, and said nothing more than that.

And so, with the promise of uncovering the mystery, Hermione aparated to Diagon Alley, walking the brief distance to the potion shop. Ginny wasn't there yet, so Hermione busied herself by browsing the shop's ingredients, picking up a couple that she was running low on. After she payed, and Ginny still wasn't there, Hermione felt herself grow impatient.

She was just about to return to her empty flat when the redhead appeared, a mischievous smile upon her face. "Sorry I'm late, I ran into someone that I just had to talk to. Very important. Anyway, they wanted to say hi to you, they're just outside!" grabbing Hermione's arm, she dragged her friend outside the store, Hermione's stomach sinking with justified dread, for there, standing outside with his hands in his pockets, was none other than Draco Malfoy.

"What do you think that you're doing here?" she spat before she could help it, before she realised what she was saying.

Ginny's smile had turned into a self-satisfied smirk. She was right in her assumption that it had been Draco that Hermione was with. She had noticed how much her friend's spirits had dropped after breaking up with the blonde man, and she hated that. Ginny had made it her goal to try to fix things up between Hermione and Draco, after all, she knew that Draco would treat her friend better than Ron had.

"Ginny had mentioned that she was meeting up with you, and so I thought that I'd come along for a bit. We have some things to discuss, you and I."

"Forget it, Malfoy. I'm not willing anymore. Go find someone else to ease your boredom." She glared at him, her voice icy. Deep down, Hermione was willing him to convince her that he was lying when he said that. Deep down, she wanted him to confess how much he cared for her.

"Maybe I don't want to 'find someone else'. You know that I only said what I said because I was angry, and still hurting. You KNOW this, Hermione! Don't pretend that you don't. I already apologised for my words once, and I won't do it again. You can take that or leave it, it's all the same to me. Remember that you were the one to call things off, so I fail to see what right you have by acting like you're the one who was wronged." His glare matched her own, the two of them oblivious to Ginny disaperating beside them.

"I told you once, about a month ago now, that I loved you, but couldn't be with you because of Ron. Ron isn't in the picture anymore, and I still love you, despite my best efforts to change that. I'm not going to stand here and argue about who wronged who, Draco. If your apology was real, if you honestly want me still, then do something about it. Because I just don't believe you, unfortunately." Her quiet voice broke, her eyes locked on their feet. "There. I've come clean. The ball is in your court now, Draco. Are you going to do something, or walk away?"

She looked back up at him to find the strangest look in his eyes. "I – " he took a step forward, one hand going to her hip, the other cupping her cheek, and kissed her gently, passionately.

Pulling away, she shook her head sadly. "That's not an answer, Draco. Once you have one, you know where to find me."

Sensing what she was about to do, Draco reached out for her arm as Hermione aparated away from him, his hand falling through the empty air where she had stood seconds previous, her name dying on his lips.

He'd make a believer out of her, one way or another.


	9. Coffee Shop Encounters

One more chapter to go!

I know that it's been forever, and I'm sorry. Life gets in the way. But. Hopefully my next and most likely final chapter will be up soon. I feel bad for leaving you guys for so long haha.

Enjoy the chapter!

- _Silent Incision_Nowadays, she lived for her work.

* * *

The old Hermione had put pride and effort into everything related to her job, but the new Hermione lived for it.

She no longer went out with friends, no longer left the flat at all except to work and to buy things that she had run out of.

Letters were left unopened, stacked by the fire. The door wasn't opened. The times that people tried to confront her at work were simply answered in as few words as possible.

The knowledge that her situation was entirely her fault did nothing to stop Hermione from moping, from wallowing in self-pity.

But today proved a changing point for her. She was determined. Determined to pull herself out of this funk, determined to get her life back. Or at least do _something_ other than mope and eat fatty foods.

That thought was what had incited her to clean up the flat, starting with the mounds of unopened letters.

Looking at the pile, she was surprised at how many there were. Hundreds of letters sat waiting to be read. She sighed, realizing that this would take longer than she thought.

Settling herself into a comfortable plush chair, she picked up the top letter. The handwriting on the front was vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place it until she read the first few lines.

_Hermione._

_I can tell that you don't want to talk to me, as all of my previous letters have gone unanswered. But either way, I'm going to keep trying._

_I was stupid. I really was. And I can understand you wanting time to get over me, but I don't want you to. I want to spend a lifetime with you, Hermione. I mean this. I want to spend eternity with you, with us being together and being open and honest about our relationship._

_By this time, I think that I can fairly assume that this isn't what you want. So please, please, just let me know. If you want nothing to do with me, tell me, so that I can stop clinging to hope and I can try to stop loving a woman who doesn't love me back._

_On the other hand, however, if you do, by some chance, want what I want, tell me so that it can happen._

_Yours, always,_

_Draco_

Hermione drew a sharp breath. That was the last thing she had expected when realizing who had sent the letter. Quickly she re-read the first paragraph. "All of my previous letters…" she read slowly, before dropping the letter and looking at the stack by her feet.

Biting her lip, she started sorting them into two piles. One pile were letters from Draco, the second were from anyone else, the pile from Draco quickly becoming dramatically larger than the other.

She picked the top one out.

_Hermione._

_I miss you. A lot._

_I want you back in my life._

_I love you._

_Draco_

She ripped open the next one, scanning it rapidly.

_Hermione._

_Just tell me that you don't want me. I'm sick of hoping that you will. We both know that you don't._

_I've sent you dozens of these letters, and haven't heard a thing. That must mean that you don't. Stop being cruel and just let me know, alright? Just tell me, please._

_I heard that you and Ron aren't going to get back together, that things are officially over._

_I must admit, I thought that I would've seen you after that. But I guess that I was wrong about us, wasn't I? I thought that love would be enough for you, just like it's enough for me._

_Was I wrong?_

_I need to know, Hermione. Please._

_I'll love you for always,_

_Draco_

She bit harder into her lip to keep her face void of emotion as she reached for the next letter.

_Hermione._

_In case you haven't been able to tell, I'm writing you every day._

_Every day until you tell me something, anything._

_I'm patient, I will do it. When something means that much to you, that's what you do. You do whatever it takes._

_I love you. I'm so very sorry about everything that has happened between us. I hope that you're alright, and hope to hear from you soon._

_I remain, now and forever,_

_Yours._

_Draco._

The rest of the letters followed along the same lines as the ones she had read. In each one he told her that he loved her and would wait for her. Some were more random, telling her all sorts of things, others just a few lines.

But there was one for every day of the two and a half months that it had been since she had last spoken to him outside the apothecary.

By the time that she had finished reading them, tears were flowing freely down her face. She couldn't remember why she had refused to see or speak to him, couldn't remember what her reservations had been.

It was beyond obvious to her now that he meant what he said, that he loved her and wanted her back.

A tap on the window startled her out of her thoughts. An owl.

She leaped up, heart racing, and took the letter from Draco's owl.

_Hermione._

_I can't wait anymore._

_This is my last letter; I can't handle writing and writing with no hope left._

_Yes or no?_

_I'll be at our coffee shop at two thirty today. If you don't come, I'll take the hint and you'll never hear from me again._

_Yours as always,  
Draco_

Her heart thudded painfully in her chest for the pain that she knew she must have caused him. She hadn't stepped foot inside the coffee shop that they jokingly called "theirs" since the night that she had called things off between them. Hadn't seen him in months. But she did, without a doubt, love him.

She looked at her watch. It was just past two already, so she hurriedly got ready to head out, aparating herself to the coffee shop just in time.

Draco wasn't there yet, so she took a seat, ordering herself a hot chocolate and a black coffee for him.

She waited, nervous anticipation filling her veins.

Five minutes went by.

Her spirits were starting to sink.

Draco walked in.

She could tell he was nervous, and also that he hadn't been sleeping well. He wore a frown that appeared to be permanently etched onto his face, but the moment their eyes met, the frown was replaced by a brilliant smile. He made his way over and sat down across from her at the table, thanking her for ordering the coffee as he took a sip, his eyes never leaving hers.

"I'm sorry." Hermione told him softly. "I wasn't reading my letters. I missed you. So much."

He started to reach out for her hand but seemed to think better of it, his hand instead resting on the table. "I missed you too, Hermione."

"It might be too late, but umm…" her voice broke with emotion. "if you could find it in you to take me back after everything that I've put you through…" her eyes dropped to the table, cheeks staining pink.

"It's not too late. You know that I'd forgive you anything. I…I love you, Hermione. Despite my attempts otherwise, I do. I want you back in my life. It hasn't been the same without you."

She stood, walking around the small table to stand in front of him. "I'm so sorry for everything that I did." She whispered before leaning in and kissing him for the first time in much too long.


	10. Stupid Boy Not Saying Where You're Going

Whoo, last chapter!  
Might write an epilogue eventually, but don't hold your breath haha

Enjoy!

-_SilentIncision

* * *

_

Ron wouldn't speak to her, wouldn't stay in the same room as her for even a minute.  
Hermione hardly cared.

Her relationship with Draco was officially public knowledge, and it seemed that that was all anyone cared to talk about for months after they "came out". But it had finally blown over, except for in Ron's case. He still couldn't believe that his ex-wife had been having an affair with _Draco Malfoy, _of all people. It didn't make any difference to him that he had known for months before most people. In fact, when Hermione and Draco were officially a couple, this was only cause to anger Ron yet again. Hermione just ignored it, not allowing her jealous ex-husband to ruin her happiness any longer. It wasn't fair to let him have that power over her still.

Not long after Hermione and Draco patched things up, Hermione moved out of her old flat, into one in Muggle London with Draco, away from the bad memories that hers and Ron's had held for her. She didn't even know, or care, if Ron had sold the other or moved back in. As far as she was concerned, that was his business, and until he stopped being a prick, she didn't want anything to do with him.

Blinking, Hermione realized that she had been staring blankly at her reflection in the mirror for a full five minutes. Earlier today she had received an owl from Draco letting her know that he was taking her out tonight, and that formal clothing was required. She was slightly frustrated that he would not tell her more, even when she asked, but quickly gave up. Of all people, Hermione Granger knew has stubborn that man could be when he set his mind to it.

And so here she stood, ten minutes before he was due to arrive, staring at her reflection in the mirror, trying to decide if it would suit the unknown event tonight. Her teal dress suited her perfectly, from the corset-style top to its ruffled skirt. Her hair hung in loose waves onto her shoulders, the front strands twisted back where they were held by a jeweled clip. Hermione's forehead scrunched up in annoyance at the lack of details that she was given, not knowing if she was dressed appropriately or not. But she supposed it would have to do, as Draco was due to arrive at any moment.

Before she was even done thinking that, he walked through the door, giving her a quick kiss on the lips. "You look stunning. Ready to go?" he was, of course, already dressed in an elegant black tux.

She nodded, mock-glaring at him. "Going to tell me where we're going?"

Draco merely laughed, grabbing her hand. "You'll see soon enough. Let's go." He apparated them away, one hand covering her eyes once their feet landed firmly on the ground. He steered her forward until they entered something that was, judging by its smell, a restaurant. "Keep your eyes closed." He murmured in her ear before removing his hand. In a normal voice, he added "Malfoy. For two." and led her with him until they reached their seats. "Okay. You can open your eyes now."

They were in Le Chien Noir again, for the first time since their break up so many months ago. "I know that the last time we were here, it didn't end well. But tonight it is my deepest hope that things will end differently. Happy two year anniversary, Hermione." She blinked, astonished. What with their break up, she hadn't been counting their anniversary on the same date anymore, but apparently he was.

The night passed easily, though Hermione noticed Draco becoming more and more distracted and almost…nervous seeming as the night progressed. Try as she might to get him to tell her what was going on; he would simply shake his head and tell her that she would find out soon enough. Whatever it was, though, it seemed to be bothering him significantly, which started to stress Hermione out more and more each minute.

Finally, when their dessert was there, and she was beginning to get quite worried, he abruptly stood up and walked to where she sat. "Hermione?" he asked softly, licking his suddenly dry lips. She had a feeling that whatever had been on his mind all night was about to be revealed to her.

"Yes?"

He lowered himself to one knee in front of her. "Will you make me the happiest man in the world by marrying me?"

Hermione gasped. Out of everything that she expected him to say to her, asking for her hand never even crossed her mind. Did she want to? Was she willing to take the chance that they would end up like her and Ron? "Yes. Yes, Draco, I do" she managed to choke out, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.


End file.
